Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing; Life forevermore. Disunity of tribes before David made king. This probably written when they came together and finally crowned David king. Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! Israel came together and set their differences aside in unity There was one place for the Ark of the Covenant. There was one temple. There was one place where they were to gather to worship God. And now they had one king. Now it is very easy to get along with someone who is far away. If you do not have to see someone from day to day, they will probably not bother you at all. But hear the king under inspiration speaks of the joy and pleasantness of people living together in unity. Note it doesn't just refer to dwelling together, but dwelling together in UNITY. It is pleasant for the church to be in unity. Not only that, it is necessary for the church to prosper. The next verse speaks of just how precious it is for God's people to live in unity. Ps 133:2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. This passage refers us back to the calling of Aaron to be high priest of Israel. As an indication of his calling he was anointed. The same happened with David when Samuel indicated that he was to be king. Only in the case of Aaron, he was anointed with a very special oil that was blended to be holy to the Lord. Ex 30:23 "Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred and fifty, and of aromatic cane two hundred and fifty, 24 and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin; 25 and you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; a holy anointing oil it shall be. Oil not only precious, but was holy. And evidently this oil was not just sprinkled upon Aaron but it was poured out as a river of fragrance, streaming over his head, down his beard (traditionally to his feet) and onto his garments. Furthermore, Aaron was not allowed to serve in the fullest until he had experienced this anointing. And brothers and sisters, we cannot serve effectively until we have that unity experience. No ifs, or buts. Look at Matthew 25 to see where the people with excuses end up. It is not a pleasant scene. God does not know those who cannot dwell in unity. And each of us bears responsibility for our portion. But when we have it..... Wow. What a difference. When the book of Acts speaks of the rulers recognizing that the disciples had been with Jesus, I do not think it was only their eloquent speech and healings. I believe that the unity of the infant church was so strong, and of such a pleasant fragrance, that it spread out over the city of Jerusalem, through the hills of Judea, and into Samaria. Ps 133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing; Life forevermore. I do not know how many of you have lived in desert country. Or at least dry areas. We have. And dry can become very dry. We lived in St Helena Ca, while I was attending school. We came out in February and looked around and said it is very good. But two months later, everything was brown and we re-considered. But there was one thing that happened that made it bearable. Very often in the mornings, we would be in a sea of fog, which moistened the dry vegetation, and tempered the climate. Here David is comparing the unity of God's children to moisture upon the dry ground. It brings comfort, coolness, and life. As opposed to being dry as the hills of Gilboa. Which to me represents the church at war with itself. And what is the blessing that God commands for those who dwell in unity? Life evermore. Eternal life. Is it any wonder that Paul spends so much time in his writings with interpersonal relationships? Many think of Paul as the author of a lot of theology. And this is true. But much of his time is spent trying to guide the churches into a practical theology of interpersonal relationships. Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. Note that this passage indicates looking at the converse, that a lack of kindness, tenderheartedness, forgiveness, indicates that we are grieving the Holy Spirit. And without the Holy Spirit, we are nothing, we can do nothing. Philippians 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Ephesians 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Now in case Paul is not good enough for you, let's listen to the words of Jesus. Matthew 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? Matt 5:22 "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 39 "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. Matthew 6:14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. John 15:17 "These things I command you, that you love one another. I hate to break the bad news to you. The decisive factor in whether or not you are in heaven is not how correctly you follow prescribed religious beliefs. It's not about Sabbath keeping, or tithing, or what you believe about the state of the dead. It is not your correct understanding of prophecy. If you doubt me, then take a look at the leaders of Israel during Jesus' time. They knew when he would be born. They knew where he would be born. They were exacting in their tithing. They were meticulous about their Sabbath observance. They had been taught in the proper schools. But they kicked widows and orphans out of their houses. Their hearts were closed to the working of the Holy Spirit. What is the criteria that Jesus holds up demonstrating that we are like our father in heaven? Matthew 5:48 "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. The parallel passage in Luke tells us. Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Salvation is relational. It is how we relate to our God and to our fellow human beings. Back to our opening passage: Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing; Life forevermore. Maybe this is a symbolic picture of what the Holy Spirit wants to do with us. Anoint us with the oil that is a continual, unmistakable, undeniable, inescapable demonstration of a God filled life. Unity. Love. Compassion. Caring. The cause of division and discord in families and in the church is separation from Christ. To come near to Christ is to come near to one another. The secret of true unity in the church and in the family is not diplomacy, not management, not a superhuman effort to overcome difficulties--though there will be much of this to do--but union with Christ. {AH 179.1} Picture a large circle, from the edge of which are many lines all running to the center. The nearer these lines approach the center, the nearer they are to one another. {AH 179.2} Thus it is in the Christian life. The closer we come to Christ, the nearer we shall be to one another. God is glorified as His people unite in harmonious action. {AH 179.3} Brothers and sisters, I want God to be glorified in this church. But for that to happen, I believe that every one of us here needs to repent before our God. Each of us needs to remember the words of that old hymn, Not I, but Christ. Not my way, But Christ's way. Not my anger, but Christ's love. Not my pride, but Christ's humility. Not my self-esteem, but Christ's self-denial. Not my spirit, but the Spirit of the Lord. Today, I am asking for your response. Our future hangs in the balance. Where do we go from here? Please share.